


Take My Hand

by girl_next_door_writes



Category: Joker (2019)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:42:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25747591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girl_next_door_writes/pseuds/girl_next_door_writes
Summary: Arthur loves so deeply, so fiercely, but he assumes it is all a one way deal.  He couldn’t help falling in love with you, but could you ever feel the same?
Relationships: Arthur Fleck x Reader - Relationship
Kudos: 22





	Take My Hand

He couldn’t have stopped himself even if he had wanted to. From the first moment he saw you sitting in that subway carriage he was drawn to you in an all-consuming way. He had missed his stop just for the chance to sit with you a little longer and when you got up from your seat at the next station, he had felt compelled to do the same. Pulling his hood up, slightly obscuring his face, he had slunk through the crowd, keeping a short distance from you but making sure he kept you in view.  
As he ascended the steps he was roughly jostled by a group of youths, causing him to stumble and as he began to fall backwards he felt someone grab his arm. “Hey, assholes, watch where you’re going.” The voice made him flinch, assuming their anger was aimed at him, it usually was. When he looked up, however, his brain short circuited as his eyes met yours. You had saved him from a potentially nasty tumble back down into the tube station and were looking at him with such concern he felt his chest tightening and the familiar bubble of laughter raising within him.  
“You okay, honey?” You asked, the term of endearment seeming to fall from you so naturally that Arthur felt jealous of everyone else who you had ever called ‘honey’. He nodded emphatically, wanting to run away but also rooted to the spot. A burst of violent laughter sprang from his lips and he winced, one hand rising to his throat as the other scrambled in his pocket before emerging holding a small card, which he held out to you.  
He expected you to walk away, to read it and realise he was broken, strange, one of Gotham’s undesirable. Instead, you had handed him back the card with a soft smile and tentatively placed your hand on his elbow, guiding him out of the crowd and towards a low wall where he could sit while this fit played out.  
You had taken a seat beside him, glaring at anyone who dared look at him in a way you didn’t approve of. He was aware you were close enough to touch, if he shifted his hand a little, his fingers would brush yours, and despite his shame and embarrassment he felt a small spark of hope.  
A wise man would have said he was a fool, believing for even a second that someone as kind as you would ever see him as anything more than a pity case, but Arthur would never have claimed to be wise. As his chest began to relax, he felt his cheeks heat up with humiliation, this was not how he had wanted you to see him. “I’m sorry.” He murmured.  
“What have you got to be sorry for? You don’t ever need to apologize to me for who you are, honey.” Your voice was soft and soothing, causing him to tentatively look up, but he was unable to maintain eye contact. “Would you have been asking for forgiveness if you’d just had a coughing fit? It’s the same deal. You wanna grab a coffee or something? Or do you have some place to be? Shit. Sorry, I’m probably totally stealing your time here.”  
Arthur chuckled at your apology, shaking his head a little. “I’ve got nowhere to be for a while. I’m Arthur, by the way.” Then you had smiled at him, and he knew he was done for. Some things are simply meant to be and falling in love with you was just inevitable.  
Of course, he never expected the same from you. Just because he was completely besotted didn’t mean his feelings were reciprocated. Arthur was just happy to spend time with you, to bask in the glow of your ineffable being, thankful for your friendship.  
That’s not to say he didn’t crave more, that in the dark hours of the early mornings as he imagined how soft your skin would be, the warmth that would radiate from your naked body as it pressed to his, the taste of your lips, he wished he was brave enough to tell you how he wanted to worship every inch of you. In the cold light of day, however, those nighttime thoughts made him feel guilty, like he had sullied your friendship in some way.  
The pair of you had fallen into an easy routine over the months, spending time together every day now. Monday evening you would cook for him and his mother and then watch tv before he walked you home. Tuesdays was comedy club night, checking out other acts and wondering why the audience was lapping up whatever lame jokes the misogynist on stage was throwing out. Wednesdays you met for coffee. Thursday early evening you walked through the safer parts of the city together, just talking about everything and nothing. Friday was another tv night and then you always seemed to have some sort of adventure planned for the weekend. There had been a Sunday where the two of you had just ridden the subway for hours, not headed anywhere, just enjoying the journey. He kinda looked upon that as a metaphor for your whole relationship. He didn’t think it was heading anywhere, he was just enjoying what you had.  
Then it happened. Such a small gesture that completely flipped his world in a second. You had taken his hand.  
There had been an offer of fifty percent off admission to the Gotham zoo and you had insisted on taking Arthur as your treat. As you made your way towards the penguin enclosure he could feel the excitement practically vibrating through you, and you had reached out and taken his hand, pulling him with you to look at the aquatic birds. A tingle ran through his entire body as your fingers interlaced with his, and it felt as if the world shrank down to just the two of you.  
He had frozen, and you looked back at him with curious amusement. “You okay, honey?” Moving closer, he gave you a shy smile and nodded. How could he possibly tell you that this was the happiest moment of his entire life, just because your hand was in his.  
“Hey, you want me to take a picture of you and your boyfriend?” A woman in a zoo uniform appeared holding a polaroid camera and a sign offering photographs for a small fee. Arthur was about to correct her, but you spoke first.  
“Yes. That would be great, thank you.” Your hand slipped from his as you leaned into him, your arm wrapping around his waist as you smiled for the camera. Arthur looked down at you in awe. He’d assumed you would have made a joke about him not being your boyfriend, scoffed at the thought, but not only did you embrace the idea, you were also closer to him than you’d ever been before.  
As you pulled away to purchase the picture, he felt a little lost, trying to cling to the memory of how you had felt in his arms, because he was certain he wouldn’t feel it again.  
“You two make a cute couple.” The zoo photographer smiled as she handed over the picture.  
“Yeah, I’m really lucky to have such an amazing guy.” You beamed, taking Arthurs hand once again as you showed him the photograph.  
Arthur Fleck couldn’t help falling in love with you, from the moment he met you to each and every other moment he spent in your company. What he hadn’t realised was you couldn’t help falling for him either.


End file.
